About Autism in children – Part 1

Autism problems happens when the brain develops differently and has trouble with an important job.
• Every day, our brains interpret (understand) the things we see, smell, hear, taste, touch, and experience.
• When the brain has trouble interpreting these things, it can make it hard to talk, listen, understand, play, and learn.
• A kid’s symptoms could be very mild, severe, or somewhere in the middle.
• Say, some kids might be upset by too many noises or sounds that are too loud.
• Kids who have milder symptoms don’t mind loud noises so much.
• Someone with mild symptoms might need only a little bit of help.
• But a kid with severe symptoms might need a lot of help with learning and doing everyday stuff.
• Kids with autism often can’t make connections that other kids make easily.
• Many kids who have autism spectrum disorders have trouble understanding what emotions look like and what another person is thinking.
• They might act in a way that seems unusual.

A kid with an autism spectrum disorder might:
• have trouble learning the meaning of words.
• do the same thing over and over.
• move his or her arms or body in a certain way.
• have trouble adjusting to changes.

Autism Causes

Although autism is the result of a neurologic abnormality, the cause of these problems with the nervous system is unknown.
• Research findings indicate a strong genetic component.
• Most likely, environmental, immunologic, and metabolic factors also influence the development of the disorder.
• There is probably no single gene or genetic defect that is responsible for autism.
• Researchers suspect that there are a number of different genes that, when combined together, increase the risk of getting autism.
• A number of studies have found that first-degree relatives of children with autism also have an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders.